Monotrack vehicle



Jan..,29, 1935. B VON LQUTZKQY 1,989,573

MONOCRACKv VEHICLE Filed Deo. l5, 1933 Patented Jan. 29, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE MONOTRACK VEHICLE n Boris von Loutzkoy, Berlin, Germany Application December 15, 1933, Serial lNo. 702,574 In Germany December 15, 1932 3 Claims. (Cl. 296-1) Mono or single track vehicles are known, the and the like may be dispensed with while employ- Wheels of which are provided with pneumatic ing such hollow spheres. In consequence the tires and the carriage body of which individually weight of the vehicle is considerably less, the cost possesses a stream-line like shape. In vehicles of manufacture is reduced and through the elim- 5 of this type the carriage body cannot adapt itself ination of the spring elements all deficiencies in- 5 to the pneumatic tires in such a manner, that a herent in such devices are avoided. uniform streamline like vehicle is formed in con- Vehicles equipped with such hollow spheres A1 junction with the wheels. and A2 do not require mud guards, and the said In contradistinction thereto the novel feature hollow spheres also serve as the customary buffers l0 of the invention lies in the fact that at least at and in consequence they insure a desirable pro- 10 the front portion, but preferably at each end of tection against accidents of all kinds. the body of the vehicle a hollow spherical wheel The favorable streamline of such vehicles (Figis arranged, which is sub-divided by means of ures 1 and 2) renders possible to obtain a high efindia rubber containers in the form of sectors of cency and higher speeds with motors of less a sphere, sections of a sphere or the like, through capacity. 15 which spherical wheels the body of the vehicle as The driving properties of such a vehicle are seen from above, will be supplemented to form a more favorable than with the usual motor-cars streamline like total or unit. having pneumatic Wheels, since apart from the A preferred construction of the arrangement reduction of the resistance of the air through the according to the invention is shown by way of large surface of the hollow spheres and the single 20 example in the drawing in which track arrangement of the vehicle, skidding of the Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a side and top view vehicle on asphalt pavement and during braking respectively of the mono-track vehicle. of the vehicle is avoided. Naturally, a motor car Figures 3 and 4 are cross sections through two of this type will also pass much better around different constructional forms of the hollow curves. Motor-cars of this type are particularly 25 sphere. adapted for racing purposes.

In the streamline like motor-car according to The said hollow spheres are sub-divided into this invention in lieu of the usual wheels carseveral inner compartments or chambers (Figrying pneumatic tires, hollow spherical wheels A1 ures 3 and 4) and thus afford greater safety durand A2 are provided at the extremities of the ing driving, because the air-tight chambers will 30 shell D of the vehicle, the interiors of which expand correspondingly if one or more of the wheels are subdivided into compartments or said compartments should become punctured perchambers, as in Figures 3 and 4, and the committing the driving to be continued without any partments or chambers are inflated with air. danger to the occupants of the car, While with As shown in Figure 2, the carriage body when motor-cars having the usual pneumatic tires the 35 viewed from above combines with the said hollow vehicle may overturn, if one of the pneumatic spherical wheels to form a stream-line shaped tires should burst. vehicle, so that no eddies of air are produced, In Figure 3 the hollow sphere A is sub-divided and the resistance of the air is reduced to a mininto sector shaped compartments or chambers 40 imum. S1. These chambers or cells may be either vulcan- 40 The vehicle aS Seen fIOm the Side aS in Fig. 1 ized in the hollow sphere proper or they may be however, cannot be given a true stream-line shape, formed as india rubber containers, which may be but owing to the fact that both hollow spheres inflated with air by means of valves V, passing A1 and A2 are rotating while the vehicle is in through the lateral cover C to the outside, so

motion, the currents of air are conducted along that they are easily accessible from outside. The 45 the shell of the car in such a manner, that the introduction or removal of the india rubber conresistance of the air is reduced to a minimum tainers is effected by removing the cover C. value. In 4the modification shown in Figure 4 the The volume of the air of such hollow spheres, chambers or the rubber containers are formed as the diameter of which is at least equal to that parallel rings S2, S3 and S4. 50 of the pneumatic tires now in use or which is even While in the example shown in Figure 3 all air larger than that of dual pneumatic tires, survalves V may be arranged in one of the lateral passes the volume of air of the usual pneumatic discs or covers C, the valves of the india rubber tires by ten times and more, so that the usual containers S2 of Fig. 4 are arranged in the covers leaf or helical springs, swinging wheel spindles C on both sides of the hollow sphere, while the 65 valves of the containers S3, S4 and S3 located between the two containers S2 extend into the hollow shaft or spindle W.

'Ihe number of thel sectors or parallel rings depends on the size of the hollow spheres. The dividing of the hollow spheres may also be carried through in a different manner.

I claim:

1. Mono-track vehicle comprising in combination a body of stream-line shape and a spherical Wheel arranged at an end, said spherical wheel cooperating with the body of the vehicle to form a streamline shaped total.

2. Mono-track vehicle comprising in combination a body of streamline shape and spherical wheels at the ends of the said body said spherical wheels completing the body of the vehicle to a streamline shaped total.

3. Mono-track vehicle of the character described comprising in combination a body of streamline shape and spherical Wheels centrally arranged at the ends of the said body, the surfaces of said Wheels and body merging to form a 10 streamline shaped unit.

BORIS VON LOUTZKOY. 

